[NTLK] Questions from an apostate

[Michael Philip Schaefer]

Hi Aron,

As a previous Newton user and pretty committed Newtontalk lurker, I too made the switch to iOS and I would also say I'm not overly convinced by the shift but unfortunately the old grey-scale Newton screen became too difficult to read ( at least without using the backlight or admitting I need glasses ).

I wouldn't say I was a heavy Newton user but I have found that my day-to-day activities are somewhat supported in the iOS space ( Contacts, Calendar ) although they both pale in what I was able to do on my Newton.

I also tried a number of Notes apps and haven't located one that I like ( but I will need to look more closely at Evernote now that it has been suggested ). At the moment, I sort of like the Bamboo Paper App but it doesn't do HWR but I can sort of use it for note taking.

LifeBalance also made the shift so I am able to use their software on the iPad just like I did on the Newton ( although changes to isync or Calendar support on Mac OS X killed their syncing over 12 months ago and it's still down which is starting to become a very big concern ).

The plus for me was Filemaker, I was eking by on Filemaker Pro Companion but Filemaker Go on the iOS is fully supported meaning my databases are quick and easy to get onto the device ( in fact if I'm short on time I just email them to myself and sort the rest out on the go ) and then use.

In some respects, I'm still left with my sentiments from a number of years ago, in that to get the Newton experience on any new platform ( I'll say any but in my case, I'm pretty entrenched in iOS now ), it is most likely going to mean writing apps which mimic the spirit of the old Newton ones ( on iOS the Interface Guidelines will probably stop you mimicking the rest too closely ).  

Regards,

Michael